Ambulance Deal Catches Attention Of Commissioners

KISSIMMEE — An Arizona company says it can save Osceola County taxpayers up to $1 million in ambulance subsidies -- an offer that should be explored, according to a majority of commissioners.

As yet, the proposal has not been discussed. Commissioner Larry Whaley solicited the proposal, but said he no longer is interested.

''There are no plans afoot to take the ambulance service away from the cities,'' Whaley said. ''We had a private service here before and they didn't do such a good job. The subsidy kept going up each year.''

It was because of long-time complaints about the high-cost of running the ambulance service, Whaley said, that he contacted the firm, Florida Rural/ Metro, with headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Once he received the offer, he did not pursue the issue, he said, because it did not appear to create a cost savings.

The other commissioners, however, have expressed some interest in gathering more information on the company after they were shown the proposal.

Both Kissimmee and St. Cloud officials said canceling the contract would have little impact on their budgets.

''We run the ambulance as a service to the community,'' said St. Cloud City Manager Jim Chisholm. ''We don't make any money from that.''

Chisholm said the county, as the state-licenced ambulance carrier, is responsible for whoever runs the service.

''As far as we are concerned it's a wash-off situation,'' said Kissimmee City Manager A.B. Preston. ''They can discontinue the service with us but they would have to abide by what the contract says.''

Under the contract, either the city or the county can terminate the contract by giving written notification 90 days before the end of any fiscal year.

Under a six-year-old interlocal agreement, the county will pay Kissimmee and St. Cloud a total of $932,000 to run the ambulance service in 1986. The actual subsidy will be about $610,000, with revenues of about $320,000 expected in service fees collected through the county's emergency management office.

In a letter dated Dec. 20, Ronald Butler, president of Florida Rural/Metro, said his company could run the service for $740,000 a year.

Butler said the price would drop to $590,000 if the county were to turn over billing and fee collection to his company.

If Rural/Metro were to take over the system completely subsidies gradually would decrease to nothing after five years. The savings could then be about $200,000 a year for five years, according to Butler.

The company has contracts with Orange and Seminole counties. It is in the second year of its agreement with Orange County. Orange will pay the company $70,000 this year, but no longer will subsidize the service next year, said Joan Pyle, Orange County Emergency Management department manager.

Seminole County signed a similar agreement with Rural/Metro last year.

Commissioner Randy Sheive, who will take over for Whaley as EMS liaison Monday, said he will pursue the proposal.

''Right now, I feel the cities are providing an excellent level of service,'' he said, but added he would be interested in another deal if the county could save money and still get good service.